Hillery Exhibition Comes to Kilkee Library

Clare Champion, Friday, 29th June 2007

Part of an exhibition honouring the state visits of the Hillery Presidency has been placed on display at the Sweeney Memorial Library in Kilkee for the next three months. From There to Here: the state visits of the Hillery Presidency features four text panels and a small number of artefacts, including two hand-painted plates from a set presented to Dr Patrick Hillery in Japan and a paperweight he received from US President Ronald Regan during a visit to Ireland in 1984. The exhibition runs until the end of September.

The exhibition was originally displayed at the Clare Museum between November 2005 and February 2006. It featured six text panels and numerous artefacts relating to state visits made and received by President Hillery during his two terms as Head of State between 1976 and 1990.

Commenting on the exhibition's temporary move to Kilkee, Clare Museum curator John Rattigan said, “Although Clare Museum is based in Ennis, our countryside service has enabled the people of Kilkee to visit the exhibition on their doorstep. Although space limitations mean that some artefacts cannot be displayed on this occasion, most of the objects from the exhibition can be viewed on-line at the Library where there is free access to the Clare Museum website," he explained. Electronic versions of the text panels can be viewed here Patrick J. Hillery.

Dr Hillery welcomed over a dozen heads of state to Ireland during his two terms of Presidency.

From There to Here: the state visits of the Hillery Presidency is now open to the public and may be viewed at the Sweeney Memorial Library, Kilkee from 1.30pm-5.30pm and 6.00pm-8.00pm on Monday and Wednesday and from 10.00am-1.30pm and 2.00pm-5.30pm on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

Further information on From There to Here: the state visits of the Hillery Presidency is available from the Sweeney Memorial Library, O'Connell Street, Kilkee on 065-9056034.

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